Delightful Behind The Scenes Details

This article contains spoilers.

The fourth season of Bridgerton tells a very different kind of love story. This time, romance defies the rigid rules of London’s high society in a Cinderella-like tale about class, identity, and desire.

Season four centers on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who falls for Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid who captures his heart at first glance during his mother Lady Violet Bridgerton’s lavish masquerade ball in the premiere episode. What begins as a fleeting encounter evolves into a sweeping romance that challenges the strict social hierarchy defining their world.

As loyalists of this series know, no detail in this series is accidental. Across its eight episodes, released in two four-episode installments, visual symbolism plays a crucial role. Most notably, water emerges as a recurring motif woven into Benedict and Sophie’s love story.

The new season is the show at its absolute best. Part one debuted January 29 with 39.7 million views (174.1 million hours) in its first four days, adding another 23.4 million views in week two.

Part two, which premiered on February 26, expands the narrative scope, culminating in Benedict and Sophie’s highly-anticipated wedding while deepening several parallel storylines.

The Bridgerton universe is based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, with season four drawing inspiration from the book, “An Offer From a Gentleman,” which follows Benedict’s search for love.

As always, the set design and costumes are carefully crafted, with every detail meticulously thought through. Beyond the gowns and grand ballrooms, season four hides layered meanings beneath the surface. Here are behind-the-scenes details, including what water symbolized for the newlyweds.

Still Waters Run Deep

Water is the universal symbol of life, purification, and transformation. It embodies emotional depth, rebirth, divine blessings, and, in season four of Bridgerton, love.

For Benedict and Sophie, water is a central theme from the very beginning of their relationship, including that seductive scene by the lake where Sophie catches Benedict skinny-dipping and the two share a kiss.

There’s also that very steamy bathtub scene with the newlyweds that Thompson and Ha discussed with Netflix’s Tudum. The scene is about so much more than sex; it’s about true love and deep intimacy as the privileged Benedict pampers Sophie, who has worked tirelessly for years as a maid, and it’s her pleasure that takes center stage.

“It’s really poetic, isn’t it, for someone to take care of her? It’s like Benedict is washing all her troubles away,” Ha told Tudum. “She’s done the work of multiple maids for years. It was really special to actually let her hair down properly and feel love finally be reciprocated after all this time.”

This bathtub scene marks a crucial moment in that there are no more secrets between them: Benedict knows Sophie is the Lady in Silver, and Sophie has told Benedict her painful family history.

“It’s really nice to see Benedict actually committing to something and taking care of a single person,” Ha added. “That was really, really a beautifully written scene.”

Thompson agreed, explaining that an aquatic theme has followed Benedict and Sophie since the beginning of season four. “There’s something quite romantic about that scene because there’s always been this thing with them and water. The first time they meet, they talk about wading in deeper and being in shallow water.”

What began as a metaphor became reality for Benedict and Sophie. “I just love the poetry of the fact that they end up in a bathtub together just in their little world,” Thompson concluded. “I think it’s really sweet.”

It’s All in the Details

There is meaning behind everything seen on screen. For example, the Penwood family motto is a Confucius quote translated into Latin that means, “Everything has its beauty, though not everyone sees it.” This is just one example, but each family in the ton has their own crest, represented by an animal.

This season, the Bridgerton crest (goat) and Featherington crest (butterfly) have been combined for a new emblem representing Colin and Penelope. The Penwood crest contains a golden pheasant, while the Kilmartin crest contains a unicorn, which is the official Scottish national animal.

The Punch and Judy puppets at Benedict’s country estate, My Cottage, have a familiar backdrop. If the viewer looks closely, they’ll see that the scenery is a painting of the estate itself. These scenes were filmed on location at the famous Loseley House, an old Tudor manor also seen on Netflix’s The Gentlemen (and as the hideaway for the Spice Girls in Spice World).

The various sets in season four feature 200 pictures sourced from public libraries. These photographs were printed on canvas, glazed, and framed. Another tiny detail: the painting of John and Francesca in their home was based on a real photograph taken by set photographer Liam Daniel and painted by a local artist.

No expense or detail was spared in creating the look of the Queen’s Ball. The “Under the Sea” theme was created using 300 meters (330 yards) of floral garlands and 2,000 scallop shells shipped in from Cornwall, England, and individually wrapped in gold foil before being strung up. To really set the romantic tone, more than 6,000 candles were used in season four’s various ball scenes.

The graphics department typically creates about 100 dance cards for each ball scene. The mother-of-pearl invitations to the Queen’s Ball were created using Shrinky Dink plastic, iridescent nail polish, and paint.

The painted canvas on the floor of the masquerade ball is an image of the night sky with the constellation of love, Cassiopeia. Wealthy families of the time would have paid someone to create artwork like this for an elaborate ball.

The Perfect Look

The official masquerade ball theme is Midnight in a Woodland Forest, a world of fantasy and magic inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. To match, Queen Charlotte’s masquerade ball wig features a unique design that pays homage to the cosmos, symbolizing her love for George. The wig includes a heart-shaped outer cage crafted from hair and adorned with silver leaf, and inside sits a replica of the nuptial crown that George gifted her, which was made from hair.

Queen Charlotte’s wigs are always a topic of conversation each season. In season four, Queen Charlotte wears 19 different wigs. Her chandelier wig took a full month to create and had 27 miniature arms with mini lanterns, plus five bonbons made completely of hair. The hair and makeup team assembled approximately 160 wigs for the background actors. As for the masquerade ball, the costume team created 172 looks.

The jewelry department was also extremely busy this season. The team crafted more than 700 pieces of jewelry for season four, from massive necklaces to delicate stock pins.

As for the mysterious Lady in Silver, whom Benedict was immediately enchanted by, assistant costume designer George Sayer designed the gown with a modern touch, using Italian silver lamé chiffon and hand-layered sequins and frills for maximum onscreen sparkle. Six people worked on the gown at once, continuously layering handmade frills. The vintage satin gloves feature Dior-inspired monograms, and the shoes are a modified silver Jimmy Choo heel.

When it comes to details and symbolism, season four of  Bridgerton proves that every stitch, hue, and flourish tells its own scandalous and seductive story.